Yizhou Lin is a third-year student in the School of Architecture. He has been in Guangzhou, China since the beginning of the summer for his first co-op experience, and will stay there for the upcoming fall semester. He is excited to share his unique experience working abroad and learning about Chinese culture and architecture.

Since May 2018, Yizhou has been working in the Architectural Design & Research Institute of the South China University of Technology (SCUT), which is one of the most famous architecture firms in China. “Here,” he said, “I have a lot of opportunity to participate in different groups and work on a variety projects. Thus far, I have already participated in more than five projects, such as the Shandong First Medical University and the Chengfa City Plaza. During the design period, I had a lot of opportunity to share my ideas to the team members and they would give me feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of my concepts. I became more than just a digital model maker for the team. The staff in this firm push me how to think and design as an architect. Although I have only been here for few months, I have made considerable progress and have ambitious goals for my next coop experience. Working in one of the best firms in the country is really cool experience for me.”

During the summer part of his co-op, Yizhou connected with the Northeastern Summer Study Abroad Program Dialogue of Civilizations (DOC) group led by Professor Shuishan Yu, who is developing cooperative educational relationships between Northeastern and the SCUT. Yizhou further explained, “This DOC program is about the Chinese culture and architecture; they came to Guangzhou, which is an international city with long history. As a student of Northeastern University and a staff member in this firm, I was given the opportunity to participate this program. While in Guangzhou, I joined the students in visiting the traditional local Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and Islamic sites and the modern buildings in my free time. During the trip, I would introduce the local buildings to the other students, which helped them understand the Chinese culture more easily. I was able to share my deep understanding of traditional buildings.”

Sharing his unique co-op experience in Guangzhou, Yizhou concluded, “As both a student of Northeastern and an intern of Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT, I am really proud of myself. Thanks to the two different institutions in the US and China, I have had a unique and valuable co-op experience, which is going to be continued in to the fall.”